


Ruling You

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-20
Updated: 2009-02-11
Packaged: 2019-01-19 19:57:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12417072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: The Marauders, rich…powerful, rule the school. Lily is the poor scholarship student that offends them. So what happens when she is the first person to stand up to them? And when James begins to focus all of his attention on her?





	1. The Stimulant

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling. I do not own HP. The plot is based off a manga called Hana Yori Dango aka Boys Over Flowers

**Ruling You**

**The Stimulant**

James frowned with irritation. He slowly opened his eyes and turned to stare at Sirius. “What is that inane noise?”

Sirius turned from right to left, scenting the air in a dog-like behavior. He casually raised one hand and pointed to a smallish girl hiding behind a tree.

“I believe that she’s the culprit.” Sirius leaned back against the tree. His right arm rested on his knee. “You think the stalker girls would have learned better by now.”

James twisted his mouth into a mocking grin. “Yeah, you think they would have…. Peter!”

The short teenager in front of them raised himself into a crouch. “Yeah, Prongs.”

“Get rid of her.” Peter nodded in return to James’s cold order.

He stood up and unhurriedly strolled towards the girl. The girl’s face was one of delight as one of the Marauders walked towards her. Even if it was just Peter, it was still on of _them_. Her giggling increased with every step that Peter took. She began to squeal as he took her hand. Her squeal quickly changed to a yell as she realized why he had taken her hand. Her face broke out in boils. She fell backwards onto the ground, desperately attempting to shield her face. One of her hands clearly had the words Marauders tattooed on it with red ink. Peter didn’t even stop to look at her as she scuttled away. He just turned around and rejoined his friends.

“You’ve gotten better,” Sirius complimented. He scanned the grounds again before turning to James. “I think the grounds are clear, O Cranky One.”

“They’re getting more annoying each year,” James answered. “God, I can not stand those idiotic girls. You think they would have learned by now.” He rested his head on the bark of the tree, trying to fall back asleep.

Remus looked up from the book he had been reading. “Just wait till the ball three weeks from now, they’ll be swarming us then.” He ran one hand through his already bedraggled hair and sighed.

James gave up on sleeping and reached for the bottle of scotch in front of him. “Joy,” he said sarcastically.

Remus laughed as he grabbed the bottle from James. “If you would just get a girlfriend, or five, they would all leave you alone.”

“Yeah, that tactic always works so well for you and Peter.” He seized the bottle and took a swig before throwing it back.

“I’ll give you that one,” Peter replied. “But we are _so_ much friendlier than you.”

Remus chuckled at the understatement. He offered the scotch around one more time. When the others shook their heads, he dropped it into his back. He rose into a standing position and waited for the rest to join him. They walked back towards the castle, laughing as Remus narrated something that had happened over break.

From twenty yards away Lily scowled. So Diane was the nicest person, or smartest, or most pleasant, but she didn’t deserve that. The Marauders thought they were so special just because their parents were rich. And the teachers let them get away with everything because their parents supported the school. It wasn’t fair. They were so freaking spoiled. She ground her teeth and stomped off towards class.

“What’s wrong?” Kai asked. She looked concerned for her friend. Lily had started muttering to herself. The only word Kai could identify was spoiled. Lily gestured towards the Marauders’ backs. Kai groaned.

“What did they do this time?” In answer Lily just pointed towards Diane. She was now surrounded by her equally superficial friends, giggling over how cool it was that a Marauder had touched her. “Forget about it,” Kai advised, “they already have. How was your summer, anyways? I forgot to ask you earlier.”

Lily had spent the summer working odd jobs, trying to earn enough money to help her family out. Petunia needed some money to pay for her wedding, so Lily had to help out.

“It was alright,” she replied. “How was yours?”

Kai launched into an exciting story about her trip to Rome. She promised to show Lily the pictures later. Lily plastered a smile on her face. Everyone here was so rich. She listened to her friend until they reached the classroom.

“What have you heard about our new teacher?” Lily asked. She looked the new DADA teacher up and down. He was about twenty-two and looked it. He had spiky black hair and a runner’s body. His eyes were piercing green, almost matching Lily’s. He had a slight oriental cast to him.

“Only that he’s hot,” Kai whispered. “He’s been traveling around the world for the past five years, since he graduated. I don’t think we ever talked to him when he went to school here. He came back as a favor to Dumbledore. He was a scholarship student when he went here too, so you know he’s smart.” She smiled wickedly. “I claim him.”

“Fight you for him,” Lily answered with a smile. She sauntered towards the front of the classroom, Kai in toe. She wasn’t surprised to see the rest of the girls up there too.

Kai slid into a seat and smiled. “This is going to be an interesting year.”

* * *

James jumped off his broom and faced his team. “Good work you guys. We need to train harder this year to beat those Slytherin scum, but I think we’ll go all the way this year! Again!” The other six members of the team cheered. James yelled over them, “This time, two days from now.” He walked back towards the changing room, letting them talk without their captain around.

“You know, that was almost nice, Prongs,” Sirius teased, walking up towards James. “People might think you’re going soft.”

“Me? Never.” James replied. “I just want to prove that we can beat anyone. We still on for tonight.”

“Obviously,” Sirius answered. He clicked his finger and the first year trailing him ran up and handed Sirius a piece of paper. He took it and waved the boy back. He retreated dutifully and started walking behind them.

“I was wondering why that guy was following you. A slave, huh,” James mused. “I think I want one.”

“What? The bodyguards your mom has to stalk you aren’t enough?”

“They won’t carry my bag for me,” James complained.

Sirius looked around. “Where are the bodyguards anyway?”

“Permanently inconvenienced,” James answered.

“And you wonder why they won’t carry you book bag,” Sirius muttered.

“And where are your bodyguards?”

“Point taken,” Sirius acknowledged. By this time they had reached the changing rooms. Sirius clicked his fingers and the first year raced forward to open the door. Sirius and James strolled in still talking. The first year obediently stood outside and waited for them.

“Oh,” Sirius suddenly remembered. He handed James the paper that he had been carrying. “Peter bought all of the stuff for us. Remus 'talked' to the teachers, so now no one will be in the main room until morning.”

James nodded. He pulled his Quidditch robe over his head. “The new teacher too?”

“You mean Justin? He's not new. He was here in our second year.”

James pulled his shirt over his head. “Really? Why don't I remember him?”

“He was that scholarship student,” Sirius replied. “He was always getting picked on. Especially by my older relatives.”

James shrugged and put his legs into his pants. “Anyway, did you talk to him?”

Sirius shook his head. “He won't be on guard duty tonight, so it shouldn't be any problem. Besides its not like he'll do anything if he catches us.” He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. An arrogant smirk crossed his face. “He knows who we are. After all, he went to school with us.”

James tied his shoes and stood up. “Whatever.”

Sirius laughed and walked back out the door. “Come on. We're late. We still have to ignore our homework and do nothing."

James laughed at his friend. “You mean you have to. I have to sleep.”

Sirius shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy.”

* * *

Lily rubbed her eyes and lazily stood up. She surveyed the dormitory common room. There were a few second years playing Wizard's Chess in the corner. The annual panic attack of the first years was occurring in the first years. A few random people were loitering about, doing homework or some equally mundane thing. The majority of the Gryffindors had already gone down to eat breakfast. Next to her, Kai stood up as well.

“What do we have today?” Lily asked her.

Kai reached down and pulled out her schedule. “Looks like Transfiguration with McGonagall, then DADA again with Cooper, lunch, then round off the day with double Potions.”

Lily grinned. “Defense against the dark arts two days in a row?”

Kai grinned back. “This is going to be good year.”

Lily pretended to look shocked. “Kai Green, slumming? Your parents would be shocked.”

Kai grin turned wicked. “I don't plan to marry scholarship boy, just have fun.”

Lily reached down and shouldered her pack. She adjusted her frayed robes and stood back up. “Let's go to breakfast,” she suggested.

Kai held up her hand, “Hold up. I forgot my bracelet.” Lily stomped her foot impatiently as her friend ran back to their room. A minute later Kai was back in front of her. “Fasten this for me?” she requested. Lily struggled with the clasp on the diamond bracelet. She noticed teardrop earrings on Kai that matched it.

“Beautiful,” Lily complimented.

Kai touched one earring. “They were a gift from a hopeful suitor.” She linked arms with Lily, causing her to laugh. “This guy has been the worst one so far. The first time I met him, he was holding a flute of champagne. He tripped on nothing and poured the entire thing on me.”

Lily burst out laughing. They exited the dormitory. Kai continuing her spiel on her horrible suitor. It took them down the main staircase. “Stefan, the suitor, was rich obviously. So my mom sends him an invitation for dinner. It was monogrammed and all that. It says casual. Now everyone knows that casual, meet the parents, dinners are always really fancy. Stefan, however, shows up in blue jeans and a dress shirt. My mom was in a dress that cost a thousand pounds.”

Lily grinned. She turned to look at Kai's amused face. She had met Mrs. Green just once. Mrs. Green had been so offended that Kai was friends with someone who worked for a living. Her face had gone all prim and pointed. It had taken an obvious effort for her to attempt to be civil. Kai had quickly rushed her mother into a store and left her there.

“My mom was still hopeful, though,” Kai went on. All of a sudden Lily went flying into the air. She fell flat on her face, groaning. She carefully picked her self up, frowning when she saw her books had scattered everywhere.

“Finally where you belong,” Crystal noted. She sneered in Lily's general direction and readjusted the ruby and diamond pin in her hair.

Lily quickly realized what had happened. “I'm glad to know that you can cast a tripping jinx properly. That only took you, what, seven years to learn?” She started collecting her books, turning her back to Crystal.

Crystal was the exact opposite of Lily. She was the fifth richest person in this school, right behind the Marauders. And since that wasn't enough, she was also an only child. She had been incredibly spoiled her entire life. She had had enough plastic surgeries to make her stunning. Her school robe probably cost more than all of Lily's outfits and possessions combined. Lately the guys had been flocking her. Whoever married her would inherit her fortune. Crystal ignored Lily's comment. She turned to face May, the girl beside her.

“Did I show you my new purse. My dad bought it for me last week. It is by a new promising designer.” She looked pointedly at Lily’s tattered robes. She pivoted and walked towards the main hall. Her two flunkies followed her.

Five seconds after she was gone, Kai bent down and started helping Lily. She picked up the last lone book and handed it to her.

“I’m so sorry, Lily,” she simpered. Her face was bright red with embarrassment. “Its just that Crystal is connected with everybody. If I even think about mouthing off to her, she’ll badmouth me. And then no one will talk to me. My mother would kill me.”

She looked at Lily with a mortified expression, begging her to understand. Her family was rich, to a point. Kai’s mother was set on her marrying someone with more wealth, thus the suitor, Stefan.

Lily shrugged it off. She could fight her own battles. “Don’t worry. I’m fine. Spoiled rich kids have pretty much stopped bothering me. Did you hear her mom tried to push her on James this summer?”

Kai broke into a smile at the thought. “They deserve each other.”

“Wicked thought.”

“I know,” Kai answered. “Give credit where credit is due, though. James Potter is hot!” Lily smiled in acknowledgment to the point. Kai pushed the door to the Great Hall open. Her jaw dropped. “And ingenious!” she yelped.

Lily’s mouth began to form a question till she looked at what was in the Great Hall. It was entirely red and gold. Everything in it had been changed colors. Streamers and goo had been added everywhere. Confetti was falling from the ceiling, sill red and gold, of course. Since the ground was entirely covered in that strange goo, everyone was sliding back and forth. A few people were sitting on the ground entirely covered in it. Others were attempting to ice skate on it. The teachers were staring at it with displeased expressions on their face. Lily could tell they wanted to say about it, but they knew who had committed the crime. And those four were the only ones they couldn’t cross. Their jobs depended on it. No one would cross the Marauders.

The males in question were sitting in the only goo-free place in the Great Hall. They were acting as though nothing had happened. James calmly took a sip of his drink when Justin, the new teacher, shot him a glare. Justin finally realized that James wouldn’t acknowledge the challenge and looked away. He knew too much about James to think that it was because Potter was afraid of him. James just didn’t care. Justin had never been able to present a significant threat to James and he knew it. James would only fight people who he considered worthy of his time.

Sirius scanned the rest of the teacher’s faces. “Slughorn looks pissed.”

Remus didn’t look like the information surprised him. He took a precise bite of his toast and considered it. “Slytherin house was never going to like this.” Remus continued chewing the breakfast in front of him.

Peter watched another person slide across the goo, ending with a spectacular fall. He readjusted his shirt in a careless gesture. “I am so bored already,” he complained.

Sirius had a glint in his eye. “Just one more week before you get to have some fun, Wormtail.”

“Live it up,” Remus snapped.

James snapped out of the trance he was in. “That’s right. I had forgotten.” He warily glanced around, confident that Sirius’s newfound slave wouldn’t overhear. “I want to go to the mountains this time. I wanted to see what sledding would be like.”

“With your antlers?” Sirius scoffed. “We can give it a shot. I’ll pull the sleds around.”

James nodded. That was the answer he had expected to get. He tilted his head in the first-year’s direction. The boy was fidgeting from one foot to the other. “What?” Sirius raised his voice.

The boy heard the irritation and cringed. “It’s just, I have to go to class, Mister.” He went back to fidgeting.

Sirius waved his hand and the boy ran off in the opposite direction. Sirius shook his head and turned back to James. “Are you sure that something else wouldn’t be more fun? I’ve always wanted to see what we could find in the dead center of the ForbiddenForest. We’ve gotten too distracted to get that far in the past.”

“Maybe,” James shrugged. His eyes suddenly narrowed in anger. The other three guys followed his gaze. Two girls were approaching them, much braver than Diane had been the day before.

“Excuse me,” the younger girl said. James looked at them with obvious scorn. The girl addressing him seemed oblivious. “My friend and I were wondering if you and Sirius would like to come to Hogsmeade with us this weekend.”

“I’m sorry ladies, I already have a date,” Sirius said charmingly. The other girl’s expression fell. The first still looked at James with hope. _Naïve girl_ Sirius thought.

“I’m not going,” James lied. Both he and the girl knew he was lying. James hoped she would get it and walk away.

“Maybe the week after then?”

James lost his patience. He pulled out his wand and flicked it. The girl went flying backwards. The goo on the floor caused her to slip. He stood up, aggravated. You coming?” he asked the others calmly. They quickly jumped up to follow him. James walked past the girl on the floor, who was now crying. He didn’t even spare her a glance.

* * *

Lily swung her bag onto the floor. She sat down next to Kai, grateful that her friend was taking the majority of Lily’s NEWT level courses.

“Potions,” Lily groaned.

“Slughorn,” Kai replied with an equal level of enthusiasm.

Lily looked up at the portly man approaching her. “Hello, Miss Evans,” he greeted her.

“Hello Professor. How was your summer?” Lily sucked up. She needed all of the O’s that she could get and even though this class was one of the easiest, being teacher’s favorite had never hurt.

“Delightful. Thank you for asking. I noticed you didn’t come to my compartment on the train. I’m having a small party next Saturday evening. Would you like to come?” Slughorn looked hopeful.

Lily sighed on the inside. Going to ‘Slug Club’ was the one thing she would not do for a grade. “No thanks, professor. I have too much homework already. Maybe next time.” She said that every time. She was kind of surprised that he hadn’t gotten the hint by now.

“Certainly, Miss Evans.” He excused himself and walked to the front of the classroom. He proceeded to give the class instructions on their first potion of the semester. Lily cast a look over at Snape. He was her only real competition in this class. She swore she would beat him this year.

Lily and Kai got to work on their potions. Lily gave Kai some instructions and helpful hints on the process. Halfway through slicing some roots, Kai looked up in surprise.

“Look who’s here,” she said.

Lily glanced up. “The Marauders. Joy.”

And she had been foolish enough to assume they weren’t taking potions this year. The four boys strode over to the empty table. Slughorn didn’t comment on their tardiness. Neither did he comment on the fact that they were all wearing pants and shirts, not the required school robes. They just looked at the board and began to work on their potions. Lily knew they would still be among the best, even with their less than dedicated performance. Remus would fix Peter’s potion for him. Again, Slughorn would just give him the O that Lily had to work so hard for.

“Lily?” Kai said with some concern. Her cauldron was bubbling over.

Lily jumped in shock. “Kai, how many snake skins did you add?”

“Twelve,” Kai answered hesitantly.

“It says one-half,” Lily answered in a panicked tone. “Your potion is now capable of severely harming anyone it lands on.” Kai’s face paled. “Don’t worry. I have a potion that can counteract it in my bag.”

She leaned down and dug through her bag on the floor. Thirty seconds later she triumphantly pulled out a vial with clear liquid in it. She stood up quickly, wanting to add it as soon as possible.

The events after that happened rapidly. Lily’s head banged into the heavy table. The table itself tilted dangerously. That was just enough of a stimulant to cause it to bubble even more furiously. A fair amount of it shot through the air, soaking the back of James Potter and Sirius Black.

They both turned to stare at Lily and Kai. “Whose potion was that!?” James roared.


	2. Wilting Rose

  


Wilting Rose

Lily cringed at the sound of his voice. She slowly stood up, hoping that she had only gotten a few drops on him. When she looked at his face, she lost all hope. He had blood running down one side of his face, the potion eating at his face. Sirius had fared slightly better, being splashed only on his arms. It occurred to Lily that James had shielded him.

“Whose potion is this?” James asked again. Now that he had recovered from the original shock of having the potion splattered, his voice had lowered. It had a cold, detached feeling to it now. Lily found it even more terrifying. She could almost see his punishment. He would ruin Kai, ruin her family. He would make her life miserable, and the scariest part of it was that he could and no one would say anything.

She glanced at Remus’s and Peter’s faces, looking for some source of redemption. It was pointless. Besides looking distressed at their friends’ wounds, they looked furious that she had dared to injure one of them.

Kai’s teeth clattered. Her face was slowly becoming paler and paler. She was almost shaking in fear. Her short black hair fell to cover her face. She was looking anywhere in the room to avoid looking at James.

Sirius waited for a moment then wiped the blood off his hands and arms. He muttered a charm under his breath to stop the bleeding. He looked from Kai, to Lily, and back to Kai. There was almost pity in his eyes.

“You heard him,” he said softly. There was no pity in his voice, but no cruelty either. He didn’t look like he cared. He would stand by James that was clear. “Who did that potion belong too?”

“I-i-i-i-t,” Kai stuttered. Her face finally lost all color.

“I spilled it,” Lily interrupted. Her eyes blazed with anger. The Marauders weren’t going to hurt Kai. They couldn’t destroy her family’s fortune. Her family didn’t have it in the first place. And she only had one year of school left. One year, that was all. She could take the humiliation for that long. “I spilled it,” she repeated. Her voice trailed off again as she finally met James’s eyes.

Kai looked at her in lost gratitude. Lily smiled weakly back.

“Evans,” James said. His voice still retained that cold quantity, but heat was creeping back into it. His beckoned with a hand soaked in blood. Lily cautiously crept forward. James turned to face his friends. One by one they nodded. Peter first, Sirius last. James turned back to face Lily. He brushed past her, his shoulder carefully avoiding hers. He picked up his bag as he went, dropping it noisily on Lily’s and Kai’s table. “Well?” he asked arrogantly. He looked at Lily expectantly.

“I’m sorry,” Lily apologized. “It was an accident. I meant no harm.”

”I’m sure you didn’t,” James mocked. He glanced at Sirius’s arms and his own. He looked back at Sirius with the glint of an idea in his mind. “However, if apologies were enough, what use would Azkaban be?”

“It was an accident,” Lily protested. He was going to attempt to get her thrown in Azkaban? He was an idiot, an insane idiot.

”You’ll be my slave for the year,” James proclaimed. Sirius held back a snort of laughter. That was a creative way for James to get what he wanted. James turned and stomped out of the room. Right before exiting he looked over his shoulder. “Come to my room tonight at eight.”

Lily moaned and collapsed in her chair. She cast a pitiful look at Kai. Kai fell into the chair next to Lily. She waited a few seconds before speaking.

“I’m so sorry,” Kai said for the second time that day. Her face was just as bright as before, just as apologetic. “Its just-”

“I understand,” Lily assured her.

She cast a look in the remaining Marauder’s directions. They were quietly talking, Sirius relating a story to them. They were taking turns absentmindedly adding ingredients to the potion in the middle of the table. Lily realized in a flash of guilt that she had destroyed their potions as well. The one in the middle was brand new. She figured that they would each turn in the same one for credit. Peter, the ever loyal lapdog, would turn one in for James as well. Lily emptied her own cauldron and began to scrub it out. Tonight would be interesting in the least.

* * *

Sirius laughed as he walked into the dormitory. “That was an ingenious way to get your slave,” he complimented James. He plunked down on James’s bed and stared at him. “You still have blood on your forehead,” he commented when James didn’t respond.

James reached up inattentively to wipe if off. He managed to smear it more across his face. “I didn’t notice,” he said. He put down the file he had been reading and turned to face his friend.

“What’s that?” Sirius asked, his interest piqued.

James pushed it further underneath him. “Just a paper my mother sent me. She expects me to come home next weekend and take care of some business. My father is out of town so it needs a Potter representative.”

“I know the feeling,” Sirius empathized. James nodded. Sirius had spent most of his youth being dragged to one party or another. James’s father was able to handle most of the events, but Sirius didn’t have that. As a result, Sirius had spent most of his childhood playing master hosting some event or another. He had spent his childhood talking to adults. He couldn’t risk letting any child-like emotions out, or his company would be ruined because of it. Sirius didn’t relate well to people his own age. He had spent the first ten years of his life only speaking to James, Remus, Peter, and Candice, children who had been coerced into some of the same situations. Of them, Candice was the one who was best able to reach him, making him smile when nothing else could. She would often take him by the hand and encourage him to try new things. Candice was the one who had taught Sirius how to sled and throw a quaffle. Candice had given Sirius a childhood when Sirius’s mom had deprived him of it and the Marauders had given him friends.

Sirius dealt with that by being extremely loyal and attached to the four. He would die for them, and he would certainly protect them. He was a normal teenager around them. To the rest of the world, he just didn’t care.

Sirius changed the subject back to what it had been when he entered. “I was surprised you didn’t declare war on her right then and there.”

James shrugged. “Then how would I get my slave?” He leaned back with his arms crossed behind his head. “This is going to be fun,” he promised.

* * *

Lily absently fingered the edges of her long red hair. She flipped the pages of her second-hand book, not really taking in the pages that were passing in front of her. Finally, frustrated, she tossed the book to the floor.

“Those disgusting pigs!” she yelled.

Kai looked up from her homework and checked her watch. “What?” She asked in genuine surprise.

Lily shook her head and started pacing back and forth. “Nerves,” she explained finally when Kai began to look concerned.

”At least they didn’t declare war on you like they did to Charlie last year,” Kai attempted to be helpful.

But she wasn’t. Charlie had been a year ahead of them last year. He was popular, rich obviously, a legitimately happy teenager. One day though, he had accidentally spilled his pumpkin juice on James. It was a mishap, an everyday occurrence. In a school this big, someone spilled a drink daily. James ordered him to get on the floor and beg for forgiveness. Charlie did so. The next order was for Charlie to lick his shirt clean. When Charlie refused on the basis that he was a seventh year and wasn’t going to scrape to someone younger than him, James stood up and walked away. The next day an owl delivered a rose, _the_ rose. The envelope also contained a piece of parchment, stating the obvious. _War_ , it had said, signed simply The Marauders. The instant Charlie touched the rose, the petals wilted. One drifted slowly to the ground, everyone’s eyes upon it.

As soon as it touched the ground everyone around him immediately stood up and walked away. It took him six days to break. Six day of no one speaking to him except to mock him. His best friends were the ones who turned the most vicious. Brutal pranks were played upon him, until he just couldn’t take it anymore. He left school, coming back three weeks later to collect his stuff. He had lost so much weight that Lily almost didn’t recognize him. The teachers let him go, claiming that it was his own fault. No one even said goodbye as he left.

The wilting rose was a declaration of war from the Marauders. No one ever lasted more than two weeks after receiving it. It was just another way they proved that they ran their school.

Lily pointed out exactly how encouraging Kai’s comment was. Kai frowned and stood up next to Lily.

“Just be your usual self, Lils. I’m sure before long you’ll even charm the Marauders. Or at the very least, shock them with your stubbornness.”

Lily wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or insult. She wasn’t so positive about the stubborn part either. If she was as stubborn and righteous as she used to be, she wouldn’t be bowing to James’s orders. Neither would she have let James nor Sirius mistreat the other people. She finally stopped pacing and plopped down onto her bed. She used one hand to gather her hair into a messy ponytail, with the other she slipped the pony holder over it. She stuck her wand in her pocket and stood back up.

“Lily, its seven-thirty,” Kai told her.

“I want to be prompt,” Lily answered with a wicked smile.

* * *

Remus laid down his hand. “Four eights,” he announced. He grabbed the galleons in the middle of the table.

James cursed and laid down his own hand of three aces.

“I thought I was going to win that round,” he complained. He gathered up the rest of the cards and threw in a couple of galleons. He shuffled the cards quickly and dealt them. He set down the deck and looked at his own hand. He set them face down on the table and took a swig of his drink. He mulled over how many cards he should discard.

“Three,” Sirius said. James dealt the cards and turned to Remus.

Remus held up two fingers. “Don’t you have a date tonight?” Sirius asked him.

Peter held up only one finger.

“Like I would miss this,” Remus replied. “James is finally going to voluntarily spend time with a girl other than his cousin and Candice. It’s a first.”

James scowled at Sirius. “Candice left town, didn’t she?”

Sirius ducked his head and nodded. “She had an acting commitment in Russia. She gets back in two weeks.”

“Tough luck, Padfoot,” James consoled. He raised Peter’s bet and leaned back in his chair. Sirius shrugged.

“I haven’t seen Candice in forever,” Remus commented.

“It’s only been three weeks,” Sirius countered.

Remus shrugged, “I still miss her.”

James laid a straight on the table. “I win…” his voice trailed off. He looked up at the redhead in his doorway.

Lily smiled to herself over James’s expression. She had caught him off-guard at least. “I’m here, Potter,” she announced.

James stood up, his pleasant expression changing into a frown. “It’s seven-forty,” he said. “I said eight.”

Lily acknowledged the point. “I wanted to be early,” she replied. “I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to serve the infamous James.”

James noted how she had changed from Potter to James. He wondered why. “Go stand in the corner,” he commanded. He sat back in his chair and collected the money. “I’m bored,” he announced.

Lily walked towards the corner and obediently stood silently. She gaped a little when James accumulated the money. His winnings on one game were more money together in her life. The other three’s piles were just as large.

Sirius stood up and carelessly dropped the money onto his bed. He leaned against the bedpost and twirled one coin on his fingers. Lily was instantly jealous. She always wished she could do that.

“I’m thirsty,” he announced.

From the table James looked at Lily expectantly. “Well?”

Lily realized that was supposed to be her cue. She rationalized with herself that she had injured him as well.

“I have some water bottles in my room,” she offered. She vaguely wondered why anyone that rich would bother drinking a common person’s drink. She didn’t have to wonder long.

“I don’t want water,” Sirius scoffed. He flipped her the coin in his hand. “Go buy me some firewhiskey.”

“I can’t go to Hogsmeade in the middle of the night! I would be expelled!” Lily burst out. That was an unreasonable assumption on their part. She wouldn’t get in trouble with the teachers for them. She didn’t have their type of immunity.

Sirius shrugged. “Not my problem.”

“Relax, Evans,” Remus cautioned. He pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocked and began to sketch a quick drawing. He explained about the hunchback witch and the passageway it contained.

Lily sighed and accepted the map from Remus. She took drink orders from the rest. She cast a charm on herself so that the professors wouldn’t catch her that way and walked out the door. She crossed her fingers and hoped that the professors wouldn’t catch her. She could always just blame on the Marauders if she was.

* * *

“Here are your drinks,” Lily threw them onto James’s bed. She had gone to Hog’s Head to buy them. She had been blushing furiously the entire time. Two olds guys and one drunk had attempted to hit on her. The first two she had dismissed but the drunk was now unconscious in a garbage can. At least the bartender hadn’t asked for ID. She didn’t think he even looked at her the entire time. She had bought all she could with Sirius’s money and tipped the bartender with the rest. She didn’t think that they had even deigned to go into the place. She looked on with amusement as they frowned at the dust. Finally Remus grabbed on and guzzled it down. The others followed suit.

Lily made a motion to leave and James held out his hand. “Where are you going?”

“To bed! Its ten o’clock and I have to study.” With those transfiguration tests quickly approaching, Lily had to study a lot to pass. She was running her roommates ragged with the times she spent transfiguring their quills into random objects.

“You’re my slave. You stay,” James countered. Lily trudged back to her corner and stood there. She watched as the four boys played another round of poker, getting steadily more and more drunk. Finally, after half an hour, James turned back to Lily. “You want to play?”

He was drunk.

“No,” Lily answered in disgust. She had no money anyway. She should back in her room studying not catering to these spoiled prats.

James realized what the problem was. He looked at Lily’s shabby robes to her cough haircut.

“I can lend you money.” Lily flushed. She could never pay him back and he knew it. She didn’t even bother to answer. “Or,” James drawled, seeing Lily’s reluctance, “we can play strip poker.”

Lily couldn’t take it any longer. She burst forward. “You ignorant prick! You think that just because mommy and daddy are rich you can do whatever you want! Just because you have money, rules don’t apply to you! Just because I have to actually work for money and don’t have it handed to me on a gold platter, I’m not as good as you!” This entire spiel was delivered at a considerable volume. The Marauders sat, stunned. As Lily glared at them, Sirius began to laugh softly. Lily spun to address the rest of them. “You, morons are nothing. You’re not hot, talented, or even socially functional. I don’t have to take that anymore.”

James made a motion to say something. Lily didn’t let him get it out. She drew back her arm and punched him in the jaw.

“That’s my declaration of war, James Potter!” Shaking her hand, she walked out their door.

_Damn, that felt good,_ she thought. She wasn’t going to regret it tomorrow either. She would show them that someone could stand up to those brats!

Back in the dormitory, James wiped his jaw. Blood trailed down from his mouth.

“What are you laughing at?” he snarled at Sirius.

Sirius shrugged, “I didn’t think she would actually do it. She had the look in her eye, but no one has actually dared to punch you before.” He chuckled for a moment longer.

“I wonder why?” Remus asked sarcastically. He drew out a red rose from his bag and handed it to James. “Would you like to do the honors?”

James set the rose down next to him. “I give her one week.” He laid his winnings from the poker game down on the table.

Peter stroked his chin. “Two,” he answered, matching the bet. “That girl has some spirit.”

Remus stood up and began to walk out the door. “Where are you going?” Sirius asked. “I have a date, remember?” Remus continued walking and Peter smiled at the joke. Remus had known that Lily would do this. Lily Evans was going to be interesting.

* * *

The next day James and Sirius leaned against the doorway of the Great Hall. James nudged Sirius as the owl flew in. It dropped its package and departed. It had arrived ten minutes before the others, making it a novelty. A few people from the Gryffindor table watched in curiosity as Lily Evans opened an envelope. She drew out a perfect, red rose. She pricked her finger on it,spilling a drop of blood fall to the floor. As everyone watched in horror, the rose wilted and James smiled.

“That’s war, Lily Evans,” he whispered


	3. Spirit

  


** Spirit **

Lily halfheartedly picked at her eggs. She pushed them from one side of her plate to the other. Sighing, she tucked her hair behind her ear. She gave up and set her fork down.

“What’s wrong?” Kai asked concerned.

Lily shrugged and picked up her book bag. “I think I’m just going to go to class. I wanted to study for that test we have today.” She swung one leg over to the other side of the bench. “It’s going to be a killer.”

Kai emphasized. Fortunately she wasn’t in the same class as Lily next hour. Lily was all set on being the overachiever. Or, more correctly, Lily’s parents were all set on her being an overachiever. Kai supposed they wanted Lily to make the money for the family. Since they had sent her to this school, they probably wanted her to marry into money. She waved goodbye and went back to digging into her breakfast. She raised her head to ask Lily one last thing when she noticed it. An owl had flown in with a package tied to its leg. Not a particularly strange thing, just atypical. Lily had apparently noticed it too. When the owl spotted her, it turned Lily sat back down.

“I wonder who sent something to you?” Kai asked out loud. In seven years, Lily had only received one or two letters.

“My parents, probably,” Lily mumbled. She hoped at least. After last night though, she knew what it was. She had been expecting it. It had been foolish of her to try to leave early.

The owl flapped around, looking for a place to roost. It finally settled for Lily’s arm. A few of the people surrounding them looked on interest. Owls never came this early for post. Lily had to appreciate the genius of having it delivered early. Now it would take a few seconds less for people to figure out what was going on, only few more seconds of being ostracized.

Lily’s hands trembled once before she got her resolve back. She had asked for this. She was going to stand up to those pricks once and for all. She untied the loose packaging and drew out a crimson rose. One hand silently stroked the pedals as they turned brown. The beauty of the rose had lasted an instant. Her other hand reached for the stem. She drew back her fingers as a single drop of blood fell to the floor. The thorn had pierced her skin. She looked up towards the door, at the person she knew would be there. James had declared war. Lily wouldn’t disappoint.

Kai gasped, as she watched in dismay. “What happened last night?” She hissed.

Lily looked up at her. A smile spread on her face. “I declared war on the Marauders. It looks like they reciprocated the gesture. Care to join me?” She didn't really expect Kai too, not against the Marauders. Still...

Kai thought her best friend had gone insane. You don’t offend the Marauders. That was one of the first things she had taught her Muggle friend. In the society of the rich, you can’t offend the richer and James was the richest of all. Kai stood up. She tripped over the bench backing away.

“I-I have to go,” she stuttered. She grabbed her bag and practically ran in the other direction.

As Kai was running, everyone else in the Great Hall was doing the equivalent of it. One by one they turned around. They went back to whatever they had been doing before the owl had arrived. Those closest to Lily scooted further down the bench. Lily was alone both physically and mentally now.

Lily gently placed the wilted rose in her bag. She pressed it between two pages of one of her numerous textbooks. She would remember this day, at the very least. She watched Kai go, only half surprised. Kai had always been about appearing popular and marrying rich. If she had stayed with Lily all of that would have disappeared. She stood up and walked towards class. She had a test to study for.

* * *

Lily stumbled into her Charms class. A passing fifth-year had sent a trip jinx her way. She righted herself and picked up a book that had spilled out of her bag. She swept her hair out of her face and looked around. Thanks to the idiots that kept getting in her way she was the last person in her class. The entire school was bowing to the Marauders. What idiots. A NEWT level course, only ten other people were taking this class. She normally sat at a table with some Hufflepuff girls. The only other Gryffindors in this class were three of the Marauders. Peter hadn’t cared enough to make it into this class. She headed over to her usual table and looked around.

“Excuse me, Professor?” she said quietly.

Flitwick stopped scribbling on a piece of parchment. He looked at Lily, after glancing at the Marauders. James glared at him and shook his head. Flitwick looked at Lily regretfully.

“Yes, Miss Evans?”

“My chair is missing,” Lily informed him coolly.

“You have my permission to find a new one,” Flitwick answered. He had the ability to conjure her a new one, but like everyone else, his job depended on the Marauders.

Lily sighed and walked out of the room. She came back in five minutes later dragging a chair that weighed more than her. As soon as she reached the door, she dropped it and pulled out her wand. She placed a flying charm on it to move it to a new table. She sat by herself for the hour.

* * *

James relaxed on a chair. He threw a ball up and down a few times before tossing it to Sirius. Sirius played with it for a few seconds and tossed it on to Remus.

“How did your date go last night?” Sirius asked Remus. He accepted the ball and tossed it back to James.

Remus smiled wickedly. “I had fun saying goodbye this morning.”

James rolled his eyes. “What would your mom say?”

Remus shuddered. “Please don’t remind me. She doesn’t know and she never will.” James laughed. Remus shot him a dirty glare and tossed the ball back with a little more force than necessary. “Speaking of girls, Lily seems to be coping rather well. She reminds me of your cousin in a way, very strong.” James’s cousin was a favorite of the Marauders. Mainly because she took pleasure in bossing James around. No one else quite had the courage to hit him. Well at least, before Lily had come.

James smiled. “I arranged a little surprise for her. She’ll be gone in a week and you guys will owe me the money.”

Sirius shrugged. “I don’t think you give the girl enough credit.” He stood up and looked at the doorway. He pulled down his wrinkled, navy shirt. “Let’s go play some real ball.” James smirked at his comment and followed suit. He trailed his friend out the door.

* * *

Lily stomped through the courtyard. She ducked another curse thrown at her and frowned.

“Grow some spine,” she yelled at the person who had shot it at her. She looked down at her ripped robes and sighed. Maybe she could charm them back to the way they had looked before. It’s not like her parents would send her some new ones. She collapsed down by a secluded tree and pulled out her book. As she opened it, the rose fell out. She forgot she had saved it in there. She shoved it towards the back of the book; a part that she wouldn’t need to use soon. She lost herself in the book she was reading. She tried to forget the various things that had happened that day. Most of all, she tried to forget what Kai had done to her.

“Excuse me,” Lily heard a voice say, twenty minutes later. She looked up, confused. Someone was actually talking to her?

“Could you sign this please?” A fifth-year asked. He looked to be around fifteen years old and had brown hair tinted red. He was holding out a quill and a photo. Lily took it, wondering what it was. Behind him, a fourth year boy was breaking out in laughter. The boy in front of him turned around and smiled at him. “Addressed to Alex,” the boy said.

Lily took the photo and turned it over. She screamed in fury and shock. The photo was one of a naked girl preening at a camera. The girl’s body was new to Lily. She had never seen it before, not that she would recognize a random body. The face however, belonged to Lily. She was laughing and blowing kisses to the camera. Behind her a sign advertised ‘One hour, fifty dollars.’

Lily burst up and brandished her wand at the pig in front of her. “Who gave this to you?” she asked with a threat in her voice. Her face flushed red in anger.

The guy, Alex, ignored her. He pulled out a fifty dollar bill from a pocket in his robe.

“So is it true? Do you only charge fifty? I suppose you’re poor enough that this is a fortune for you.”

Lily looked at him in disgust. She ran through a catalog of curses in her head, preparing to hit him with one.

“Who gave that to you?” she repeated the question. She threw a weak jinx at him, causing his face to break out in blue spots. Unexpectedly her wand flew out of her arm. She had forgotten the fourth-year behind Alex.

Alex rushed forward and pinned her to the ground. He tucked the fifty dollar bill and photo into Lily’s hand. “I paid you. Now it’s your turn to live up to the bargain.” Lily struggled against him. Alex was still angry that his face had changed color. He hadn’t expected Lily to fight back. He held her arms tighter and motioned his friend with his head to come help him. Lily was stronger than she looked. She kicked out at Alex.

“Ow!” Alex yelped. He slapped her in the face. “You little brat.” Lily sucked in her lip. She screamed for help. She didn’t really expect anyone to come. Not many people walked by here that was why she had chosen it. Alex prepared to do worse than his original plan. Lily wasn’t going to get away with offending him.

“What are you doing?” A voice said behind him. It was low and threatening.

Alex jumped off of her and cowered. “Nothing, sir.” The boy beside him nodded his head vigorously. Lily picked herself off the ground and readjusted her robe. She looked in awe at her savior.

Sirius Black stood before her. He looked livid. The two males shook before him. “James told us-”

“To rape her?”

They shook their heads. “No, sir.” They tried to explain but Sirius ignored them.

He flicked his head. “Get out of here, now!” The boys took the words to heart and scampered. Sirius looked at Lily to ascertain that she was okay. Once satisfied, he began to walk away.

“Wait,” Lily called. She sped up to walk next to him. “Where are you going?”

“To eat lunch,” Sirius answered. “Why do you care?”

Lily was a little affronted at his tone. He had just saved her and now he acted like he didn’t care. “I just wanted to say thank you,” she answered in a quiet voice, “for saving me.”

Sirius just kept walking away from her, towards the castle. Lily matched his pace. “I didn’t do it because of you. I just don’t like it when males act that way.”

Lily took this news with some shock. “Thank you,” she repeated. “For whatever reason, you still saved me. I’m grateful.” She stopped walking and Sirius entered the castle. She would remember, even if he didn’t.

* * *

An hour later, Lily stomped into a classroom. Her face was flushed red with rage. She looked over James and Remus, who were in the middle of a game of wizard’s chess. Neither one acknowledged that she had walked in.

“Knight to E3” James ordered. He was dressed casually in jeans and a loose t-shirt. He looked like he had on any other day. Any other day when he hadn't sent two men to rape a girl.

Lily clomped over to him. “Is that your idea of a joke?” She screamed. She flung the photograph onto the table in front of him.

James looked at her with a cool fashion, as if he didn’t care. “Yes,” he said. Remus was confused. He sat quietly, waiting to see how this thing played out. He would get an explanation later.

“Me being raped? That was your idea of a joke?” Lily repeated.

This time James reacted. He jumped out of his chair, scattering the chess board to the floor. “Raped? I didn’t tell them to rape you! I just told those guys to have you sign a photo. What are you going on about?” How dare that girl acuse _him_ of a thing like that. Like a Potter would sink that low, like he would have to.

Lily was taken a little bit aghast. This was the second reaction she wasn’t prepared for today. First, Sirius actually caring, and then James not being as nasty as she had thought him to be. “You didn’t tell them to rape me?”

James shook his head in denial. He settled back into his chair, trying to deny the fact that Lily had elicited such a strong reaction in the first place. This was the girl that had punched him. He didn’t care what happened to her. He told himself that he was looking after his honor.

“This photo that was it. You aren’t worth my efforts to do anything worse.” Lily’s anger was returning. Even if he hadn’t sent those idiots to rape her, he wasn’t acting remorseful about the rest of it. “You are okay, though?” James asked. It would have been more touching, but he said it in an arrogant way, as though pointing out the fact that she was obviously uninjured.

Lily nodded. “No thanks to you,” she spat out.

“You know this can all be over,” James told her. “All you have to do is kiss me. Then I’ll tell everyone to lay off of you. I find that I’m actually becoming to admire your…spirit.”

Lily glowered with fury. “You send those boys to harass me, and now you ask me out? You must be joking.” She pulled out her wand and cast a spell. James didn’t know what it did. Lily spun around and marched out of the room.

Back in his chair, Remus burst out laughing. It was James’s turn to look confused. “Your hair mate,” Remus explained between laughs. “It’s bright pink.” James cursed and pulled out his wand. He began to experiment with differed countercharms. “Still, I’m surprised you asked her out. What prompted that little break of character?”

James shot Remus a dirty glare at his enjoyment of James’s hair. “I thought you were right. I thought she was like my cousin. Now though, I see that I was wrong. Gwen would never do a thing as low as this.” James gestured to his hair with another curse. He tried yet another charm.

As James settled back into the position he had been before Lily entered, Remus realized what had happened. He wondered how long it would take James to discover the same thing. He also wondered what James would do to Lily before he figured it out as well.

Lily walked through the dormitory with a grin on her face. It had felt so good doing that to James. Even with the repercussions, it would still be priceless seeing everyone’s expressions if he couldn’t remove the jinx. Her curiosity was piqued when she heard her name. She paused to listen to two girls’ conversation.

“I can’t believe Lily is standing up to them like that.”

“I’m proud of her. I wish I had the courage.”

“Still though, could you stand up to the Marauders like that? They’re so hot; I would probably die if one of them ever talked to me.”

“Sirius actually talked to me once,” one of the girls remembered fondly. Lily stopped listening and continued walking. So someone out there was proud of her. After today, she hadn’t really expected that. It felt good to stand up to those four. Still, Sirius had saved her. What those guys would have done to her if he hadn’t been there. She shuddered. Lily walked off to bed, smiling for a different reason now.


	4. You Saved Me

**Disclaimer: AnotherDreamer helpfully pointed out that I'd spaced on a disclaimer. I do not own HP, obviously. But I based the plot on the manga Hana Yori Dango. Or the show Meteor Garden, whichever you've heard of.**   


You Saved Me

 

“Excuse me, sir,” Alex said. He looked at the ground, not daring to look at. He didn’t know whether Sirius had told his friend or not. Having one Marauder angry at him was enough for one day. He fidgeted for a second before realizing that if he didn’t speak soon, then James would be pissed anyway. “I did as you asked.”

“And now you’re here for your payment,” James surmised. He wondered how stupid these two boys thought he was. He would have some fun doing this at least. “Did you carry out your instructions to the letter?”

Alex took his chances. “Yes, sir." We asked her to sign the photograph you gave us. She was rather embarrassed. Rather violent reaction, though.”

“That’s all?”

Alex wondered once again how much James knew. He weighed the outcomes of his answers against each other. He swallowed loudly. “Yes.”

James stepped closer to Alex. “That’s not what I heard.” He took out his wand and tapped it against his hand.

The two boys’ faces went pale. They knew how violent his wrath could be. The boy next to Alex, Cameron, fell to the ground. He landed hard on his knees and began bowing.

“Please, sir. She harmed Alex and he attacked her. I couldn’t stop him. I had nothing to do with it.” Alex threw a look of disgust at his friend. Even if his statement did hold some figment of the truth, he hadn’t expected his friend just to rat him out like that.

James seconded the look of disgust. Friendships seemed to crumble around him. It seemed like the other had no idea what loyalty was. He would have respected Cameron more if he had stood up for his friend. After coaxing the story out of a couple first years who had heard Alex bragging about it, he knew that Cameron had done nothing. He might have even let him off the hook a few minutes ago. Now, James turned to face Alex. He had an expectant look on his face.

“The girl attacked me. I was forced to take measures to defend myself.” Everyone knew that Lily was an unusually talented witch. Maybe James would believe that he had done it in self-defense.

“You disobeyed my instructions and now you have lied to me,” James stated. He slipped his wand back into his pocked. Cameron’s face gained back some of his color as James extended a hand to help him. As Cameron got to his feet, James slid his left arm around his back. He leaned closer to his ear. “Don’t ever try that again,” he whispered. In the following second he punched Cameron in the stomach, hard. Cameron fell back to the floor that he had just exited.

Alex looked at James in dismay. James left Cameron to the floor and sauntered over to him. Alex bore a pleading expression. James raised his right fist again and Alex lost all hope. He made a desperate attempt and took a fighting position. He threw a punch at James’s head. James sidestepped it and grabbed Alex’s arm. He twisted it and forced Alex to his knees. Alex moaned and James released him. He stepped back to give Alex another shot. This time Alex attempted to kick him. The fight lasted less than thirty seconds. Alex cradled his broken arm. James stepped over him, without any mercy in his eyes.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx      

Lily sat down to breakfast Thursday, two days after the rose had first arrived. She was alone, again. She shoveled a small portion of food onto her plate and looked around her. The rest of the Gryffindors were eating and talking. A low buzzing sound was created by the amount of conversations. When she had sat down in an already isolated area, the people around her had scooted even farther away, just like yesterday. She figured that that particular event was going to happen far more often than she liked. She got over her moment of self-pity and dug into her food. She would need her energy for this day.

She was still eating five minutes later when the letters started falling. She ignored them at first, until one landed right in front of her. _Lily Evans_ was inscribed on the front it. She opened it and began to read.

Her eyes grew wider with every word. When she reached the end of it she looked around at everyone else in the Hall. Each one had abandoned their conversation in order to read the letter. As she watched, the laughs began. People began to glance over in her direction, half in disbelief. Then the conversation began again. She heard her name on the lips of hundreds. Cruel smiles rose to the rich students. Lily stood up and ran out of the cafeteria.

Up at the teachers table, all wondered at the strange letters that were falling like snowflakes. The teachers summoned them into their hands and began to read. A few laughed cruelly, in a parody of the students before them. Others, Dumbledore and McGonagall among them, shook their heads and let the letters fall to the ground. Of them, only the newcomer stood up. Justin Cooper looked at the spectacle in front of him and watched the girl running out of the door. He waited, wondering if any of the other teachers would claim seniority and take control. After ten minutes, no one had. He made his decision; he chased after her.

Lily found herself stomping towards the Marauders for the third time in as many days. She was hoping this wouldn’t become a habit. It certainly wasn’t a fun way to start her day. She finally found James and the others on a set of stairs, on their way to the Great Hall. She stopped right in front of them, forcing them to stop as well.

“What?” Peter asked frustrated. He wasn’t a morning person. He hated it when people tried to get between him and breakfast.

Lily looked at Sirius once before dropping her gaze. She turned to glare at James. “I am not a slut!” she screamed. “I have not been fooling around, ever! And I am definitely not pregnant!” James just looked back at her with a confused expression on his face. He had no idea what Lily was babbling about. Lily walked back down the steps, pausing after a few seconds. She turned her head to look back at James. “I’ll get my revenge. This time you’ve gone too far.”

“What was that about?” Peter asked James. The quartet continued down the steps, watching Lily’s retreating figure.

James shrugged. “This time, I can honestly say I have no idea. Why would Lily want to tell me that she wasn’t pregnant?”

“Did you call her fat, mate?” Remus asked.

James shook his head. This was a bit odd, even for Lily. He really had no idea what she was talking about. He still felt a tad bit guilty for the Alex and Cameron thing. He had been planning to leave her alone for the next few days. He would still get rid of her, of course. He was just planning on giving her a few days to recover.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Sirius answered for all of them. “After all, she promised us revenge.” James smiled at the thought. Lily Evans had spoken, if nothing else.

From the stairs above them, Crystal smiled. Lily seemed to have taken this blow hard, just like Crystal had expected. Lily had messed with the Marauders, one of which was her future husband. Lily was going down and Crystal was going to enjoy it. That low class girl shouldn’t have been bothering the Marauders. She didn’t deserve to be near them. She fixed her hair and snapped her compact shut. Lily Evans would be out of the way soon. She swept down the stairs, with an evil grin on her face.

Lily hid in an alcove behind a tapestry. As far as she knew, no one else in the school had discovered this place. Of course, none of the other rich kids would want to get their clothes dusty. She looked over the letter once again and let a few tears creep out. Here, in her secret place, she would allow herself that self-indulgence.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx       

She heard a rustling noise and wiped her tears off with the back of her hand. She wasn’t really expecting anyone to pull back the tapestry, but just in case.

So when the tapestry was gently pushed to the side, allowing the light to flow in, Lily was shocked. She saw the outline of a body climbing in next to her. “I thought I would find you here,” a deep voice said with a tinge of amusement.

“Professor?” Lily asked surprised. She looked into the green eyes staring at her. She wondered how he knew to find her here.

“I always hid here when I went to school here,” Justin answered serenely. He acted as if this was an everyday occurrence for him. “No one else ever found it. I guess it was due to the dust.” He came to the same conclusion as Lily had. Lily vaguely remembered that he was a scholarship student. “I took my fair amount of beatings about being a scholarship student, too. Nothing of this magnitude, though.” He looked at the piece of paper that Lily was still clutching.

Lily tucked it in closer to her body. “You must never have offended the Marauders,” she said darkly.

Justin laughed and shook his head. “I can’t say I did.” He looked at her and tilted his head. “Of course, from what I remember of you, you wouldn’t let a thing like this stop you. You protected me from the richer kids once.” He smiled. “I suppose I should call them my students now.” Lily laughed at that. “You always had backbone, even when you were little.”

Lily chuckled weakly. “I don’t remember that.” She felt embarrassed at what her professor was admitting to her. She had actually saved _him_? She was sure she would have remembered his face. Grimacing on the inside, she remembered something else. She remembered joking with Kai about who got to date him. That seemed like it had been ages ago.

“Trust me, you did,” Justin assured her. He stood up gracefully. “I have to go now, this probably doesn’t look too appropriate. Are you going to be okay?”

Lily nodded. She stood up also, tucking the piece of paper into her pocket. She would keep it as a reminder. “Thank you, professor,” she added on the professor as a last second thought. Justin certainly hadn’t seemed like a professor for the last few minutes. He had seemed like just another desperate student.

Justin nodded at her thanks. He left the alcove, whistling a tune. The Marauders had been brats, even when he went to school here. Seeing Lily go up against would be interesting. He had faith in her. More importantly, he had faith in the little twelve-year-old that had shaken her fist at a seventeen-year-old for making fun of another boy’s robe. Especially since that little girl had been wearing robes as scraped up as his.

Sirius nimbly leapt over a stick. He sat down on a log and set his bag down next to him. He pulled out a sketchbook and began to draw the woods surrounding him. He became absorbed in what he was doing. He sat completely still, except for his hand moving up and down the page.

“Hey,” Lily said quietly from behind him. She walked up next to him and sat down on the log.

Sirius didn’t acknowledge her at first. He stopped sketching and set his pencil down in front of him. He turned to face her, but didn’t speak.

“I wanted to say thank you again.” Lily finally said. Sirius still didn’t respond. Lily sat there for a moment in silence before speaking up again. She looked over at his sketch. “That’s beautiful,” she praised him. “It looks like a photograph.”

“It’s just something I’ve picked up,” Sirius answered her. He set it face down on the ground. As he did, the page flipped over and revealed another sketch. It was one of a slightly older girl. She had classic figures, slim and beautiful. She possessed flowing, dark hair. Her face was heart-shaped and angelic. Lily was astonished at the elegance the girl seemed to possess. She was one of those girls who only existed in books, or perhaps a painting of an angel.

“She’s beautiful,” Lily stammered out. Sirius followed her gaze. “Who is she?”

“Candice,” Sirius finally answered her. He seemed uneasy. His eyes however, were sad.

“How do you know her?” Lily asked. Inside, she was crushed. Sirius had this beautiful girlfriend. She should have known. A guy like Sirius was bound to be dating one of the prettiest girls in England.

“She’s a…friend,” Sirius finally answered. He bent down and shoved the pictures back into his bag. He stood up and began to walk away from Lily, again.

“Wait, I thought we could talk,” Lily protested. She ran to catch up with him. Again, it seemed a repeat of a few days ago.

“About what, Lily Evan?” Sirius asked with complete seriousness. He came to a halt and gazed into her eyes.

Lily found the look unnerving. “You like Quidditch?” She asked.

Sirius burst out laughing. That wasn’t what he had been expecting. Then with Lily, nothing was as he expected. “Yes,” he answered. “I like Quidditch.”

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx    

“I’m going back to my house on Friday night,” James told his friends. They were sitting in a circle doing various things. His announcement took them by surprise. They looked at him with a questioning stares. “My mom needs me to host an event. Some major deal is going on. You guys coming?”

They nodded. Their families would be invited to any big event, obviously. They would get points for having taken up some responsibility. At any rate, it was a way to visit London and get out of Hogwarts.

James went back to reading his book, his mission accomplished. At least the event would not be completely boring. He could spend most of the evening talking to his friends now. He looked over the different moves the Quidditch players were performing. He could use some of this in training tomorrow. They would win the house cup this year, as soon as he could find another keeper. The one he had now was a bust.

He looked up when he felt a wet sensation going down his back. Slimy was the way he would have described it. He jumped up and noticed that Peter and Remus were doing the same thing. He looked down and noticed a pool of liquid at his feet. He knew what it looked like. The others surrounding them were attempting not to laugh. They wouldn’t laugh at the Marauders. They knew the consequences.

Sirius alone was unaffected. He felt something in his hand. He unfolded the piece of parchment and read it. _Because you saved me_ it read. That explained what was going on. He didn’t have to resist the urge to laugh.

James also grasped what was going on. He glanced around, like a predator, and spotted his prey. He approached Lily fuming. “Why did you do this?”

“Happy revenge,” Lily answered. She put down the book she was reading. Justin had reminded her what the right thing to do was. She was standing up for herself. Whatever they dealt, she could return it with equal force.

“What the hell inspired this?” James growled. He hadn’t done anything to this girl.

“A number of things,” Lily answered, standing up. She stood there for a minute, as if debating the point. “I bet if I leave you alone for a couple of minutes even you might be able to think of a couple things.” She finally answered him with a straight face.

James decided to let that insult go. “What makes you hate me so much!?” He asked quietly. He was James Potter. Women were normally swooning over him. He hated them for it, women that only wanted his money, but it happened. What was wrong with Lily that she wasn’t dying to go out with him?

Lily took a step closer to him. “I hate the way your run your hand through your hair. I hate your cockiness, how you never wear the school uniform. And most especially, I hate the way that you think you can get away with anything and everyone will just automatically forgive you. I am sick of everyone bowing down to you, never offending you. Its over!” With that she calmly walked up to the room she shared with the other seventh year girls.

James continued to stand there, flabbergasted. He watched her go. Insanely, the thought that Lily looked pretty when she was angry crossed his mind. He finally stopped a younger boy who walked by him and ordered him to find a towel. The other Marauders were doing the same. After that, he sank into the chair that Lily had vacated. Maybe he had underestimated this girl. A smile eventually spread across his lips. He would have fun planning his own revenge.


	5. Pulling Pigtails

Disclaimer: Characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Plot based off of Hana Yori Dango. 

** Pulling Pigtails **

“Potter residence.”

The four Marauders stepped out of the fireplace. James brushed off his clothes and looked around. “This place never changes,” he muttered. He declined the various outfits servants were proffering. By the fifth outfit, he grew so frustrated that he grabbed it out of the servant’s hands and threw it on the floor. He then pushed the offending servant when he bent down to pick it up.

When they were offered again he turned to look at Ian. “Your mother insisted that you dress nice, Master James.” Ian told him with a bow. He adjusted his suit and looked James with a wooden expression. James knew from long experience that he wouldn’t escape this room without picking an outfit. His mother was to be obeyed. Ian had the unfortunate job of carrying out those orders. No matter how James yelled or abused him, Ian always came back for more. James was scary, but his mother was worse.

“That one,” James jabbed towards an Armani tux. The man holding bowed and handed it to James. James stepped into the next room over to change into it.

“You think he would have learned by now,” Remus laughed. The other three boys had arrived in their tuxes. With a few quick charms the fireplace soot was gone. James however, was constantly battling with his mom over his wardrobe.

Sirius shrugged and sat down in one of the chairs. He motioned the servants in the room to leave. Sirius looked around at James’s bedroom. It hadn’t changed much since last time he had set foot in it. The walls were still a deep blue with gold trimming. The floor was carpeted gold to match. The four-poster bed had the same colors. He smiled as he remembered the fight that had occurred over those colors. James had wanted red and gold for the obvious reasons. This was the compromise they had finally reached. On his dresser were a few pictures of the four of them together as well as Gwen and her husband. The room was devoid of personal artifacts other than those four pictures. James rarely spent the night there, preferring to spend the holidays at Hogwarts instead.

“Are your parents going to be here?” Peter asked as James reentered.

James tugged at the tie that was around his neck. “No,” he replied. “They're both in New York brokering some big deal there that they couldn’t get out of. The CEO made it crystal clear that both of them would be required otherwise he would assume they didn’t consider the deal important.” James frowned as he said the last thing. “So, I get to spend the entire night talking to the old guy that the steel company sends over.”

“Joy,” Sirius said. He stood up and walked over to James. He briefly checked his appearance in the mirror on the way over. He clapped James on the back and directed him towards the door.

“We better get this evening started.” James went with Sirius with the frown still on his face.

 

 

“And drink lots of alcohol in the process,” Remus grinned. He was excited at the possibility of the women at this thing. They were always older, pretty, and very unsatisfied. Peter smacked palms with Remus as they followed the other two out the door.

 

 

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the guy in front of him. Jim-Tim…whoever this guy was had been talking for the last two hours about the same thing. It was midnight and James was bored to death by him. However, he was also offering a five hundred million dollar contract to one of the various companies that the Potters owned so James was stuck. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Peter and Remus talking to a few girls. Trust them to find the only girls under fifty at this place. Sirius was sitting in the corner, amusing himself by drawing. That boy would have been an artist if his family had allowed him. As James watched a forty-year-old man walked up to Sirius and stuck out his hand. James resisted the urge to chuckle as he turned his attention back to the man in front of him.

“Thank you,” Frank? “Sir, if you would have the time to send the contract to Hogwarts tomorrow, I will certainly look over it and get back to you. I’m afraid that I have to leave now, though. I need to study for a test I have on Monday.” James tried to excuse himself politely.

“I’m sure that you’ll easily achieve a perfect,” the man flattered him.

“Thank you,” James said. He shook the man’s hand once again and walked away. He told one of the various vice-presidents to go over and talk to the man he had just abandoned. He left another with orders to see the party to its finish and say good-bye to the guests in James’s name as they left.

He was walking back to his bedroom when the other three caught up to him. “That was one of your most boring parties yet,” Peter informed him. “We must have been the youngest people in there by at least twenty years.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Aren’t we always?” He held up the sketch that James had seen him working on. It depicted James talking to that man. In the picture though, all of his features had been exaggerated. The old guy now had a shiny, bald head and had sweat dripping off of him. His lips were huge, the better to suck up to James with.

The other three burst out laughing as Sirius closed his sketchbook. “You have a gift,” Remus laughed.

_ “ _ _ Yeah,” James agreed. He took the tie off his neck and flung it onto his bed. He also discarded his jacket, leaving on the rest of the suit. He collapsed next to his tie and looked at the blue walls surrounding him. “So what did you guys think of mine and Peter's prank on Evans this morning?” he asked with undisguised mirth in his voice. _

_ “ _ _ Hilarious,” Remus said sarcastically. He sat down in a chair opposite James and put his head in his hands. His brown hair flopped into eyes, giving him a more tired look than serious. “You know, by this points your pranks are getting much more juvenile. It’s more like pulling a girl's pigtails back in day care. The teasing a boy does to a girl that he likes, because he's too immature to come out and say it.” He continued to stare off into space, as if this insight into James's psych wasn't anything important.  _

_ James didn't look disturbed at Remus's comment. “She likes me,” he insisted. “Not the other way around! Like I would ever fall for a poor girl like that.” He scoffed, as if the idea was unimaginable.  _

_ Remus sighed inwardly at the comment. It was hard to believe that James, a man so insightful when it came to running his father company and placating the minions that were sent to him, could be so oblivious. “Never,” he agreed for James's sake.  _

_ Peter, on the other hand, had almost no tact. “She doesn't like you,” he laughed. “She punched you and yelled at you. That's generally not the behavior I look for in my girlfriends.” He continued laughing at James, seemingly not getting the body signals his friends were throwing off.  _

_ “ _ _ She likes me,” James insisted. He stood up, as if to intimidate Peter into agreeing with him. Peter controlled the last of his chuckles, the sound dying off unnaturally. James chose to lean against a bedpost, rather than return to his bed. “Sirius?” James looked at his best friend to back him up. _

_ “ _ _ Whatever,” Sirius answered. “Not my problem. Let’s go back to Hogwarts. I could do with some real food.” His scowl clearly showed his feelings on the food that had been served at the party. _

 

 

Peter nodded his agreement and grabbed a handful of floo powder that was kept in a vase next to the fireplace. “Hogwarts, seventh year boys dormitory,” he enunciated the words. The others boys watched as he spun.

 

 

Lily fell out of the bed with a resounding thunk. She cried out as her elbow painfully connected with the floor. One or two of the girls that were in the room briefly looked over at her. None of them seemed particularly interested in her predicament other than pausing to laugh. Lily flashed a sarcastic smile at them as she got to her feet. She had been having a nightmare, that part she remembered. She just wished that she could recall what it had been about.

She glanced at her watch. Eleven thirty, there was no way she was going back to sleep now. She might as well sneak down to the kitchen and grab some food. She loved that the house elves always spoiled her. It was a nice change. She wondered if it was hypocritical.

Lily walked over to a mirror and adjusted her hair. She sighed, thinking of when she woke up this morning. Perhaps thinking of how Lily had changed his hair pink (which he had sadly been able to fix before he was seen) James had gotten his revenge. Lily’s long, beautiful red hair had been shorn short when she woke up this morning. Most of the people in this school had commented on her hair at least once. Some just commenting to say they thought it was fake, but then they realized she couldn’t afford it. It was her pride, her joy, and now it was gone. And the people in school were right; she couldn’t afford the money to buy a potion that would grow it back. She fingered the short, shoulder length hair that she bore now. She had attempted to cut it back into some style of fashion, layers maybe, but had failed miserably. Again, something most people felt the need to mention, breaking their no speaking rules. Lily set her face and left the dormitory.

“Lily,” someone loudly called her. By that time, Lily was in a deserted corridor that was rarely used by anyone. Her entire reason for taking it was that she didn’t think that she would run into someone. She was sick of people this week. She turned around slowly, trying to delay the inevitable moment.

“Kai?”

“Lily,” Kai repeated. She rushed up to Lily and bowed her head. She then looked Lily in the eyes with a shameful expression on her face. “I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry and after you stood up for me and everything. I mean that should have been me being bullied by the Marauders. It’s just-” Kai babbled. 

Lily was aghast. She had no idea what had inspired Kai to do this. For the past few days Kai had avoided Lily like her life depended on it. She hadn’t injured Lily, like everyone else in this school was attempting to do, but neither had she helped. Lily had assumed the two would never speak again.

 

 

“-my mom,” Kai was saying. “I just couldn’t be an outcast. If the Marauders mark me as a target then…I don’t know what she would do. I can’t do that to her. I’m too afraid, Lily. You were always the strong one between us.” She started crying. A few tears rolled down her cheeks.

  
Lily switched from being flummoxed to being slightly annoyed. Lily was the one who had been tortured all week, almost raped, and now Kai was the one crying.

“Here,” Kai said. “I know this doesn’t make up for anything, but I want you to have it. And thanks. I’m sorry,” she repeated. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. With the other, she drew a velvet bag of her pocket and handed it to Lily. “I’m sorry that we can’t be friends, Lily, I miss you.” With that parting sentiment she turned around and sped down the hallway. She couldn’t be seen talking to Lily.

Lily laughed pathetically at the situation. “For what its worth,” she called after Kai’s retreating figure. “I understand and I forgive you.”

Kai stopped and turned around. “Thank you,” she said. Her face lit up with a smile as she turned to walk away again. She really did feel guilty, but what could she do?

Lily sadly watched her go. Kai hadn’t been the most loyal of friends, but in a place like Hogwarts, Kai was one of the best. What would Lily do now? She turned the pouch over in her hands and felt something hard in it. She idly pulled the strings and upended the contents of the bag into her hand. A silver necklace fell out of it. Lily picked it up and examined the charm. It was a silver doe, shining brightly with some sort of charm. It was beautiful and perfect for Lily. She smiled as she remembered the first time Kai had seen her patronus. She had said it suited her and praised the loveliness of it. It had started their friendship, really. They had bonded as Lily taught Kai how to summon a patronus. Kai’s turned out to be a dove, a pretty but unreliable bird. They had been friends ever since. It was ironic that their friendship would start and end with a silver doe.

Lily fastened the chain around her neck and tucked it under her robe. She would wear it always.

 

 

She let a tear escape as she continued her walk down to the kitchens.

 

 

James laughed as Remus finished saying something. “Yeah, right.”

“No seriously,” Remus protested. “I was staying after class one day so I could copy some notes. It was only me and Miss Cades. I was innocently writing and she just started hitting on me. She asked me if I wanted to come over to her house for ‘personal tutoring’.”

“Wasn’t Miss Cades the old one with the wart?” Sirius asked.

Remus nodded gravely. “Ew!” Sirius replied.

“They can’t all look like Candice,” Peter protested. He looked slightly insulted by Sirius’s comment.

James read the affronted expression that Peter was wearing. “Wait, did you?”

Peter went silent. “You would have been twelve,” James objected.

“No!” Peter stood up for himself. “Nothing happened between us. It’s just-I always thought that Miss Cades was a good teacher.”

Remus clapped him on the back and laughed some more. The four drew to a halt as a couple founded the corner. The two were giggling and holding hands. They stopped when they saw the males that were in front of them.

“Sirs,” the boys said, bowing. The girl mimicked his behavior. They edged towards the wall. The Marauders walked right past them without saying anything.

“That was close,” Remus heard the boy whisper. “I’m glad we caught them in a good mood.” Remus ignored it and kept walking. On most days, he might have classified that as slightly offensive, but especially at this hour it was not worth his time.

“Remember Mr. Welch?” Peter asked as they drew near the kitchens, effortlessly changing the subject.

Sirius scowled. “He always wanted to _improve_ my artwork, even though he had no idea what he was doing.” Sirius looked like this matter personally offended him. Mr. Welch had taught at a primary school they all attended when they were ten. He gave them crayons and told them to go crazy. Peter, James, and Remus always ended up ignoring him and sleeping in the back of the classroom while Sirius had ended up bringing his own art supplies.

James reached out and tickled the pear. He grabbed the handle and stumbled into the kitchen. He turned to face Sirius. “That guy was an idiot.” Sirius laughed and nodded his head. What the local newspaper had done to him was revenge enough. They had ridiculed the one piece of artwork that Mr. Welch had ever done. Sirius always wondered if one of the kids had had a part in that humiliation. James turned around and began to walk towards the table that he always sat at when they snuck down to the kitchens. The house elves in front of him moved out of his way, revealing somebody else sitting at his table. He froze at the sight of fiery red hair, the _short_ red hair.

Remus, on the other hand, remained in complete control of his motor skills and vocal cords. “Lily Evans?” He walked over to the table and slid onto a stool, facing her.

  
Lily looked at him with shock and surprise. She put down the muffin that she had been eating and stood up. One hand flew to necklace at her throat. It was a reminder of what they took from her, even Sirius. They had carelessly destroyed her future at this school. Her eyes turned fiery as she glared at the four boys.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Remus continued. He took one of the pastries that a house elf was holding out to him. He nonchalantly took a bite of it. He acted as if Lily was a friend he wasn’t that close with, not someone who had embarrassed him as recently as a day ago.

James had finally regained control of his voice. “Evans,” he said arrogantly. He continued to stand there, well Peter and Sirius joined Remus. They both selected food from what the house elves were offering.

Lily spared him a glance before picking up her muffin again. She seemed to have abandoned her seat, instead preferring to lean against the table. She carefully took a dainty bite and swallowed before acknowledging James. “Yes?” she asked.

“You still haven’t apologized about the other night,” James pointed out. He walked over to the table, not sitting either. He ignored the food, even though he had been starving earlier. 

Lily thought the comment was redundant. Did he really think she was going to apologize? “Wasn’t planning on it,” she answered him bluntly. She looked James in they eyes, vaguely annoyed by the fact that she had to look up. She felt smaller all of a sudden, more fragile. She fingered her hair in an obvious reminder of why she felt no remorse.

 

 

James was frustrated. He offered Lily every chance to get back nice with her and she took none of them. It was like she was determined to have him angry at her. What was wrong with this girl? She didn’t react like everyone else here did.

“It was amusing,” Remus finally spoke after an awkward pause. Lily now kind of understood why he wasn’t acting callous. Remus, of all of them, loved a joke. He also was a player, something else that might have factored into his decision. _She drew the right conclusion, but for all the wrong reasons. Remus was finally frustrated with James's fascination with her. James was either going to grow up and ask Lily out, or Remus would throw the two of them together by himself._

“Amusing!” Peter gasped. He seemed almost offended by what his friend was saying. “She soiled the Marauder name.” Lily knew then he had helped on the vicious prank this morning. She idly wondered how they had bypassed the staircase. All four were prideful, but Peter was the most attached to it. His family had only gained their riches when he was eight; he knew what it was like to be poor so he feared it. He mocked people because they reminded him of what he once was. And he was pretty much James’s lackey as a result.

Remus thought of the two kids scraping to them five minutes ago. Clearly their prowess had not diminished in the student’s eyes. Of course, that could be partly due to the fact that James had been stomping around all day. He had kicked several people that had been stupid enough to get in his way.

Sirius shrugged. “What do we care?” He grabbed another pastry and stood up. “I’m going back to our room. All the people sucking up at that party left me exhausted.” He walked out of the kitchen, Remus and Peter at his heels. They had gotten the food they had come for. _Remus dropped his defense of Lily. At the moment it was inconsequential_ _._ They walked in silence.

James stayed back, still staring at Lily. He finally sat down, ignoring her. He began plowing through food, in the way only teenage boys can.

Lily stood for a few minutes, not trusting it. She half expected James to fly into a random rage, not ignore her. After a few minutes of wary silence she decided it was her turn to implode instead. Revenge and practical jokes were fun, but Lily was more of the confrontation, get-in-your-face mold. “You cut my hair!” she accused.

James ignored her and continued eating.

Lily really got into her rant. She was determined to make James acknowledge her, turn away from him food. The one thing she had over all the spoiled rich girls, he had taken away. They couldn’t buy hair prettier then hers, it just didn’t look real. After all their nose jobs, and face jobs, and whatever jobs, Lily still had something that was pretty in comparison and James had destroyed it to sate his anger. “Everything I said about you last night was true. You’re nothing but a spoiled boy that doesn’t think about what your actions do to other people.”

_ James snapped. He thought about what Remus had said earlier, teasing a girl just because he liked her. Then he thought about Peter's comment. He was aggravated that Lily was yelling at him. If anything, it was Lily that had the immaturity problem. She was the one always screaming at him. But then, by that definition, Lily liked him. He _ finally turned around and looked her full in the face. He stood up walking closer and closer to her.

“Your opinion of me seems to be very biased, slanted. What do you actually know about me? You say I think I’m better than you because I’m wealthy. What about you? You walk around, acting like you know more than anyone else because you held a job that requires manual labor. I’ve been working most of my life, manufacturing deals worth millions of pounds. You have your own revenge, too. You thought nothing of embarrassing us last night either and sparing Sirius. Why was that?” James suddenly came to a realization; an epiphany brought on by Lily’s intoxicating presence, by the way that she stood up to him. _Remus was right, James_ thought in disgust. The thought was mildly depressing, in things like this Remus normally was. 

Lily stepped away from him as he closed in on her. On the other side of the room the house elves were huddling together. They would not get involved in wizard and witch’s affair. A few went on baking, acting as if nothing was happening. “He didn’t try to have me raped!” she blurted out.

James continued sauntering closer to her. “Neither did any of us. We, all of us, sent you a rose. That was it” He stressed the all. “It was your classmates, people you considered your friends that did everything to you. Friendships crumble so easily around you.” He finally had her pinned against the wall. He placed one arm on it, halfway pinning her in. “You challenged me first,” he said quietly. Lily had challenged him, and she was the first to succeed, the first to stage an actual rebellion. 

Lily was trembling on the inside. The height difference was really noticeable, this close. She tilted her face up. “You would have destroyed Kai, if I hadn’t stepped in.”

James continued staring into her piercing green eyes. “So it was your friend, after all. I always thought it was weird that you took the blame.” He didn’t feel any real regret about that particular action. At the time, Kai had injured him. She had to take the consequences of her actions. 

“I was being a loyal friend,” Lily defended her actions.

“She was so loyal to you in return,” James pointed out.

“Nothing would have happened if you weren’t so prideful!”

“You always talk about pride,” James said with a contemplating tone. His lips turned up in a smile. “How can I be humble enough for you?”

Lily didn’t take the question seriously. She would willingly kiss James Potter on the day he did anything selfless or humble. “You cut my hair,” she forced out. It was unnerving, having him this close.

James reached up to finger a short lock of Lily’s hair. “I like short hair,” he replied. “It looks prettier on you.”

Lily couldn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say. She was running out of reasons why she was angry at this selfish, stupid boy standing so near to her. Her mind drifted to Sirius. He had already saved her once, maybe he could be her knight in shining armor again. Sirius was a genuine gentleman. 

James leaned in closer to her, taking her silence as some type of agreement. When Lily still didn’t say anything, he gently touched his lips to hers. His eyes closed as he kissed her with more passion. The arm that was on the wall went to cradle the back of her neck. He gently pulled Lily into his body. This was the kiss that he had always wanted, the one that those idiotic, fawning girls had never been able to give him. It was full of passion, promising a future filled with happiness, not just money. 

Lily was in shell shock as James kissed her. Her mind went blank. She relaxed into the kiss out of sheer reflex. When James pulled her she went willingly. After all his roughness and callous edges, his lips were surprisingly soft. A few seconds passed before she regained her sanity. This was James Potter that was kissing her! The only guy that she truly loathed. Lily drew her right hand back and slapped him. James stumbled backwards, looking confused. Apparently he was suffering the delusion that she had consented to it. 

_ Something to do with the ranting she had been doing earlier? _ Lily supposed. Who could follow James's thought process? She ran away from him, stumbling in her haste, to the other side of the room. She wanted to be a safe distance from him. She wanted to clear her head.

“How could you!” She screamed. She started walking towards the door. James Potter, the guy that she hated, had kissed her. She couldn’t even think it; it sounded too weird. A wild tear escaped her eye, falling down her cheek. The guy that had bullied her mercilessly, acted like he despised her, had stolen her first kiss. She stomped out the kitchen door, still angry. It was a low and dirty thing for even him to do. Of all the despicable things that James had done, somehow this felt the worse. For a moment, when he was complimenting her hair and standing so _damn_ close to her, she had actually convinced herself that he was a likeable person. And, for some reason, she hated that she had been proven wrong. She irritably wiped away the tears falling down her cheek.

James stood completely still in the kitchen. One finger drifted to his mouth, tracing his lips. He had just kissed Lily Evans. _That_ was going to be fun to admit to Remus. Most likely he would crow or do some other ridiculous victory ritual. He walked out of the kitchen with a newly added spring in his step. Something, if the other Marauders had been there, that would have been recognizable. It normally appeared after he spent time with Gwen, or Candice. James had found someone he respected. Lily was full of attitude, but that just made him more determined to control her; like he had always controlled everyone else. 

**AN This fic is posted with about ten more chapters on Fanfiction.net. I'm working to catch this fic up**


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